On Election Day, residents of Shaleng village in the North West province halted voting by blocking access to polling stations.
What’s happening in Shaleng? – Here’s what we know
According to sources, these protests stemmed from longstanding frustrations over poor service delivery, including demands for improved roads, schools, and housing.
The residents, who had sent a letter of complaint to authorities, expressed their dissatisfaction by preventing IEC officials from entering their community hall and conducting the election.
The protests, which sparked on the first day of special voting (Monday, 27 May 2024) were not just about the immediate election but centred on deeper issues of neglect and broken promises from the government.
Local youth leader Golekane Morwe stated:
“Our aim and objective as residents of Shaleng and Madipelesa is to close our buildings used by the IEC because the government is not doing anything for us.”
The situation escalated when police intervened to break the welded gates of the community hall, allowing IEC staff to proceed with their work.
This intervention did not sit well with the protesters, who felt their grievances were being ignored.
One protester captured the tension on social media, questioning why the police used rubber bullets against their families during the voting process.
Despite these disruptions, IEC North West chairperson Dr Tumelontle Thiba confirmed that the police’s intervention allowed voting to resume, albeit under strained conditions.
Thiba noted:
“Shaleng is the only place where we have experienced challenges so far. We have not received any report in the province indicating that there are challenges anywhere other than Shaleng.”